Pequot Yacht Club and the village of Southport

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Only 50 miles from Manhattan, stretching from the harbors of Long Island Sound inland to the rolling hills of countryside and horse country, Southport, Fairfield, Westport, Weston, Easton and Wilton offer a beautiful Fairfield County lifestyle. SOUTHPORT Like many other activities in this tiny unincorporated village in the southwest corner of the Town of Fairfield, CT, the gatherings are linked to the water. In 1661, the area was a marshy part of Fairfield - Sasqua Fields - that settlers from elsewhere in New England bought from the Paugusseu Indians. Within a year, farmers were tilling the soil and grazing their sheep and cattle, and Perry's Mill was grinding oats, rye and corn along Mill River. Around 1760 the growing village was renamed Mill River and three years later a shipyard was built. Trinity Episcopal Church ca. 1854 The hamlet was torched by the British on July 8, 1779, but by 1825 sloops and schooners from the rebuilt community were carrying meat and produce as far south as the Caribbean. In 1831 the bustling area officially became the Borough of Southport. By the middle of the century it had earned a reputation as the onion capital of America. The borough disbanded in 1854 and by the end of the century trading faded, a victim of an onion blight and competition from the rapidly growing ports of Bridgeport and Norwalk. The community became a sleepy little village. The Sasquanaug Association, set up in 1897 by women, tries to preserve the old ambiance and is one of many groups that monitor a harbor management plan that includes dredging and opening some of the 150 private and municipal moorings to out-of-towners. Since the early 1980's another group, the 500-member Southport Conservancy, has bought and renovated historic sites such as the Pequot School and Freight Station, which is to be leased for commercial use. The Pequot Library, in an 1887 Romanesque-revival building with a Tiffany stained-glass window and a pink granite exterior, is a center of activity. It has 124,000 books and an extensive collection of Americana. It also holds a half-dozen weekly story hours for toddlers to 6-year-olds and is the site of concerts and lectures. The annual book sale involves an outreach from the community and many volunteers. Antique hunters can find American primitives, architectural and garden ornaments and formal 18th and 19th century furniture amid a dozen dealers. There is also the annual Southport-Westport Antiques Show at the Fairfield Country Hunt Club in Westport in April and the annual Southport Congregational Church Antiques Show in October. The Pequot Yacht Club is open only to its 250 members but there is a municipal boatyard, and anyone can fish on tidal water for bluefish or picnic on Perry's Green. There is also Southport Racquet Club, Wakeman Boys & Girls Club, swimming and water sports at Southport Beach and at Sasco Hill Beach.

A place where country homes and wooded pastures meet the blue water and the mist of Long Island Sound…that's Fairfield, CT. A residential waterfront community as diverse as it is intriguing. Fairfield boasts cozy condominiums as well as equestrian estates. Too diverse to categorize, the residents of this former farming and seafaring community come together to enjoy a strong sense of community. There are eleven neighborhoods in Fairfield to call home: the Beach area, Tunxis Hill, Stratfield, Grasmere, Greenfield Hill, Mill Plain, Holland Hill, the University area, Southport, Black Rock Turnpike and Town Center.

POPULATION AND LOCATION: Fairfield has a population of approximately 53,000, covers 30.6 square miles and ranges from 1 to 450 feet above sea level. It borders Long Island Sound about 50 miles northeast of New York City; New Haven is approximately 20 miles to the north. Commuters can choose from several train stations which use MetroNorth rails to New York City (commute time is approximately one hour and 10 minutes). Fairfield is also served by major routes - I-95, and the Merritt Parkway from east to west, and routes 1, 136, 58 and 59. A regional airport (Sikorsky) is only 15 minutes away; New York airports are approximately 75 minutes. Fairfield has a traditional New England representative town government headed by a First Selectman.

SCHOOLS: Fairfield's reputation for quality education started way back in 1640 when early settlers established the first school. Since that time, many private academies and even Universities have come to call Fairfield home. Fairfield University, on North Benson Road, and Sacred Heart University, on Park Avenue, draw students from diverse parts of the nation. Fairfield currently has 1 senior high school, 3 middle schools, and 10 elementary schools which accommodate grades kindergarten through fifth. There are 11 private and parochial schools completing Fairfield's spectrum of educational opportunities.

RECREATIONAL ACTIVITIES: Fairfield is a cultural whirlwind. With two universities contributing rich culture (including the Quick Center for the Arts, located on the Fairfield University campus), community art organizations, nature centers, wildlife preserves and sports opportunities galore, both intellects and sports fans will enjoy this mid-Fairfield County town. With two rivers, shorefront, and a fresh water lake, it is a haven for water sports enthusiasts. Well-maintained public tennis courts, three golf courses, and 22 parks, playgrounds and picnic areas ensure outdoor fun through most of the year.

OTHER ITEMS OF INTEREST: Fairfield is home to the corporate headquarters of the global conglomerate General Electric. Many commercial enterprises dot the Post Road, which was once a dirt road used as a mail route from New York to Boston. Shopping is plentiful, with eclectic boutiques in Southport as well as megastores such as Home Depot and BJ's Wholesale Warehouse providing no reason to leave town! Because of the ethnic diversity of the residents of this town, restaurants representing the four corners of the world are not hard to find.

WESTPORT

Today Westport covers 22 miles with 24,000 people calling it home. Many commute daily to Manhattan, Westchester and nearby towns. They are a civic-minded group, with a great percentage proud of their involvement.

Westport is also home to one of the state's finest school systems, leading the way in curriculum, athletics, special education, and extracurricular activities, while stressing academic excellence and individual growth. Integrated within the program are music, drama, dance and the visual arts. They are proud to offer students a visiting relationship with performing artists from New York City's Lincoln Center, among others.

Westport's Longshore Club for town residents

The other side of the Westport story is a commercial one. Sometimes called the "Rodeo Drive of Connecticut," Westport's sophisticated yet informal Main Street atmosphere has attracted chic boutiques, fine restaurants, and a high level of creativity, making the town a gourmet and shopping mecca.

Westport is often called the "Hollywood of the East," home in the past to such legends as F. Scott Fitzgerald and Bette Davis; it is still home to such celebrities as Paul Newman, Joanne Woodward, Phil Donahue, Marlo Thomas and Michael Bolton. Its 24,000 residents relish the secluded and rural parts of town, as well as Saugatuck Shores, Greens Farms, Compo Beach and Old Mill. Throughout these little enclaves are avenues of water for sailors and fishermen, trails for hikers and woodlands or wetlands for nature lovers.

WESTON

Nearby, Weston's three public schools share a 113-acre campus. Connected by a common drive, the complex boasts eight athletic fields. A wide variety of programs are available, from drama, music, math, and computers to special education. The school system, small in size yet great in scope, is recognized nationally as a font of academic excellence and athletic accomplishment. It is justifiably proud of a record which sends an inordinately high number of students to continue their education at top colleges and universities around the world.

During times of leisure, Westonites enjoy a long list of outdoor activities within their own town's boundaries, not the least of which are skating and cross-country skiing, hiking and biking, swimming and canoeing, fishing and tennis, horseback riding and more. A plethora of sports activities are available through Weston's Town Recreation Department. And although Weston is inland, with no shoreline of its own, it has use of Westport's town beaches.

Among the town's liveliest activities is its government. Well-attended Town Meetings can be filled with information and conversation. Weston's Selectmen and its residents strive together for the life they love…one filled with a natural beauty that continues the high quality of living in a rural setting. For the protection of its residents and its municipal facilities, Weston employs a working police force of 14, including a Chief of Police and two Sergeants. There are also two fire stations with the town's borders, manned by 82 volunteers, all of whom are certified firefighters, and a 24-hour paramedic EMT volunteer unit, which provide emergency service.

Weston's 8,850 residents have created a small community, filled with opportunity for people of all ages, and a spirit which is hard to find in metropolitan areas. Its roads and lanes, its historic district and antique houses, its stone walls and vintage fences, even its country fair, represent peace and beauty and refuge from the outside world.

WILTON

Nestled in the Norwalk River Valley in western Connecticut, Wilton is a quiet, beautiful town full of wooded hillside, ancient stone walls, rippling streams and open meadows.

Cannondale Railroad Station

Wilton Historical Society and Museum

Rich in heritage, Wilton features many historic buildings and landmarks plus some unique local businesses. It is home to modern research centers and corporate headquarters. In Wilton, old meets new in a pleasant mix of America's past and present.

FACTS AND FIGURES: Wilton's 15,989 residents live in an area of 27 square miles in just over 5,500 households. Many are single-family residences, though there are some condominiums and apartments. Recently, Connecticut Magazine named Wilton the top overall town in its size group. In 1992 Wilton voters approved the sale of liquor in restaurants, repealing prohibition rules that existed since the 1930's.

TRANSPORTATION: Wilton is 55 miles from midtown Manhattan and is within easy driving distance of Norwalk, other major Connecticut business centers and Westchester County, New York. The Town is accessible from Routes 7, 33, and 106. It is an hour from Grand Central Station on the New Haven Line of Metro-North Railroad; LaGuardia, Kennedy and Westchester County airports are all within a convenient distance.

EASTON

Easton, with its clean air and open space, is Fairfield County's Town of the new Millennium. The town covers 28.8 square miles, approximately 40% of which is devoted to reservoirs and open space watershed owned by the hydraulic company, furnishing water to surrounding towns. Easton allows one acre and three acre zoning, with a minimum lot frontage of 200 feet for all properties. Commercial enterprise is limited to two general stores, gas stations and produce stands that pre-date 1941 establishment of zoning. Major shopping, restaurants and super highways are easily accessible.

Easton has extensive farmland, and is considered ideal horse country. There are no property size requirements to keep horses, but a horse barn must be at least 40 feet from the side property lines and at least 40 feet from the road-and must not be a health hazard.

POPULATION AND LOCATION: The population of Easton hovers around 6,800 and will undoubtedly increase as some farmlands convert to new development. Easton is bordered by Fairfield, Westport, Weston, Redding, Trumbull and Monroe. Commuting by car or by train is convenient.

SCHOOLS: Easton schools are excellent. Samuel Staples Elementary School is for Kindergarten - grade 5, and Helen Keller Middle School is for Grades 6-8.

All Easton students are bussed to their respective schools, with the longest run projected to be 30 minutes. Population of grades 1-8 is approximately 1036 students. Special education classes are also available.

Approximately 325 secondary school students from Easton attend Joel Barlow High School; Redding, Ct. This award-winning secondary school serves students from Redding and Easton. Ninety five percent of Joel Barlow graduates attend college.

RECREATIONAL ACTIVITIES: School campuses provide tennis courts, baseball and football fields. There is a town "swimming hole." Private clubs provide racquet sports, golf, swimming, horseback riding and boarding, for both Western and Eastern riding.

OTHER ITEMS OF INTEREST: Easton has been home to Helen Keller, Bellamy Partridge, Hume Cronyn and the late Jessica Tandy, in addition to many other celebrities.

There are more than 30 volunteer civic and social clubs and organizations in town - garden clubs, singing groups, bands, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, the Lions Club, Exchange Club, and the Easton Historical Society.

With its poetic views, quiet countryside and involved residents, Easton offers a superb lifestyle combining beauty, comfort and sophistication.

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